Two U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler jets slammed into each other midair during an aerial demonstration at the Gunfighter Skies Air Show near Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho on Sunday, sending both aircraft spiraling to the ground in a fireball visible for miles. All four crew members ejected and survived.
The collision occurred at about 12:10 p.m. MDT on the second day of the air show, Fox News Digital reported, citing Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, a spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet. The jets were assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129 out of Whidbey Island, Washington.
Video from the scene showed the two Growlers appearing to make contact, then spinning together as four parachutes opened above them. The aircraft fell to the ground and exploded on impact, sending thick black smoke into the sky over the Idaho desert.
Cmdr. Umayam said all four air crew members successfully ejected and were being evaluated by medical personnel while first responders remained at the scene. No crew member names have been released.
The Associated Press reported that all four were in stable condition, and no one on the ground was injured. That last detail matters, the crash site sat roughly two miles northwest of the base, close enough to the air show grounds that spectators watched the collision unfold in real time.
The Mountain Home Gunfighters, the base’s host unit, posted a statement to Facebook confirming the incident:
“An aircraft incident has occurred at Mountain Home Air Force Base during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show two miles northwest of the base. Emergency responders are on the scene, an investigation is underway and more details will be released as they become available.”
The base locked down after the crash. The remainder of the air show was canceled, Newsmax reported.
David Katz, who attended the air show with his family, told Fox News Digital he witnessed what appeared to be the two jets colliding before one started to catch fire. He was in a vehicle with his two sons when they saw four parachutes deploy, two from each plane.
“We saw the smoke and fireball. Apparently they collided there. One of the planes was impacted and started burning in the air.”
Katz described bystanders trying to figure out whether the pilots had made it out safely as emergency crews rushed toward the crash site.
“Fire crews are flying by us right now.”
Local station KTVB reported that witnesses described seeing two jets crash during the show, and shared videos showing a large plume of black smoke rising near the base. Law enforcement and emergency crews responded while officials worked to gather more information.
Kim Sykes, marketing director with Silver Wings of Idaho, the air show’s organizing group, confirmed the safe ejections. As the Washington Times reported, Sykes said:
“All four of the crew members from the planes ejected safely. Everyone is safe and I think that’s the most important thing.”
Formation flying at air shows leaves almost no room for error. Aviation expert John Cox, quoted by the AP, put the danger in plain terms: “Air show flying is demanding. It has very little tolerance.”
Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti offered a more specific observation about why the crew members may have had time to eject. Newsmax quoted Guzzetti saying the jets appeared to strike each other “in a very unique fashion to cause them to remain intact and kind of stick to each other,” a dynamic that may have given the crews the seconds they needed to punch out before the aircraft hit the ground.
That assessment tracks with the video evidence. Spectator footage showed the Growlers appearing to touch and then fall together rather than breaking apart instantly, a narrow window, but enough for four trained aviators to pull their ejection handles.
Military aviation incidents, while relatively rare during peacetime demonstrations, carry enormous stakes for the service members involved and the communities near air bases. Just this year, a Russian military transport plane crash in Crimea killed all 29 on board, a grim reminder that not every crew gets the chance these four did.
The Navy has not disclosed what caused the collision. No agency has been publicly named as the lead investigator, though the Mountain Home Gunfighters confirmed an investigation is underway.
The EA-18G Growler is a specialized electronic warfare variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet. VAQ-129, the squadron that operates the two jets involved, is the Navy’s fleet replacement squadron for the Growler, the unit responsible for training new crews on the airframe. Whether the pilots were experienced demonstration flyers or newer aviators remains unknown.
The Washington Examiner reported that the emergency response included a helicopter, a crash fire crew, and additional services deployed to the scene. The base remained locked down as responders and investigators secured the area.
Broader questions about Navy readiness and aircraft maintenance will inevitably follow an incident like this. The service has faced scrutiny over maintenance backlogs and budget pressures in recent years, including the cancellation of the Biden-era USS Boise overhaul after costs ballooned toward $3 billion. Whether any maintenance or readiness factors played a role here is unknown.
Civilian aviation disasters have also drawn attention in recent months, including a fatal small-plane crash into an Akron, Ohio home that killed two people. Sunday’s collision in Idaho, by contrast, ended without a single fatality, a testament to the ejection systems aboard the Growler and the split-second decisions of the crew.
Several key questions remain open. Were any of the four crew members injured beyond the initial medical evaluations? What specific maneuver were the jets performing at the moment of contact? What agency will lead the formal investigation, the Navy Safety Center, a mishap board, or another body?
The names of the crew members have not been released. Nor has the Navy provided any preliminary assessment of what went wrong. The Gunfighter Skies Air Show, a popular annual event that draws thousands of spectators to the high desert of southwestern Idaho, is now a crash scene.
The Pentagon’s broader force posture decisions will continue to shape how many resources the Navy has for training, maintenance, and the kind of public demonstrations that build trust between the military and the communities it serves.
Four aviators walked away from a midair collision on live television. That is the good news, and it is very good news. But the investigation that follows will determine whether this was a freak accident or a warning sign, and the Navy owes the public a straight answer.
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